Elliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit

ABSTRACT

An elliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit substantially comprises a framework, an upright support disposed thereon, a flywheel disposed inside the upright support, a crank settled on the flywheel, at least two parallel rails arranged adjacent said framework, a wheel means comprising two wheel-shafts arranged on each side of said crank and each has a wheel which is coupled to said rail, a handle-shaft means comprising a pair of handle-shafts disposed on each side of the upright support with the top portions for users&#39; handling, a running-pedal means comprising two pedals respectively coupled to two pedal-shafts which are linked to said handle-shafts for users&#39; pedaling, a pair of adjust-devices on the wheel-shafts which are pivotally connected to the pedal-shafts for adjust the position of joints of pedal-shafts and wheel-shafts by moving axially along the wheel-shafts forwards and backwards. A user can modify the exercise model for training various muscle systems by operating said adjust-devices to lengthen or shorten the minor axle of the resultant elliptical exercising orbit to cause a non-uniform scale thereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention is related to an elliptical exercise machine, and, moreparticularly, to an elliptical exercise machine with a mechanism forlengthening or shortening the minor axle of the elliptical exercisingorbit thereof in order to cause a non-uniform scale of the resultantelliptical exercising orbit and thereby allows a user to modify theexercise model for training various muscle systems.

2. Description of the Related Art

A conventional elliptical exercise machine generally provides anexercise manner of pedaling on pedals, which reciprocate along a fixedelliptical orbit, and the exercise strength may be modified by adjustingthe resistance acting on a flywheel thereof. As the exercising orbit isfixed, such a machine can only helps to practice relatively limitedmuscle systems even though a modifiable exercising strength isavailable. Furthermore, the exercise model is also approximatelyconstant. It is possible to adapt an elliptical exercise machine withadjustable exercising orbit to train muscle strength of lowerextremities and muscle endurance beyond cardiopulmonary function by wayof changing the exercising orbit thereof.

Features of popular elliptical exercise machines with adjustableexercising orbit are mainly focused on adjusting step length byuniformly scaling the entire exercising orbit or modifying theinclination by changing the gradient of the entire exercising. Thus, aneed of an elliptical exercise machine with the exercising orbitnon-uniformly scaleable based on the minor axis for change theexercising orbit significantly therefore exists.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary objective of the present invention is to provide anelliptical exercise machine having adjustable exercising orbit, whereinthe wheel-shafts thereof each has an adjust-device associated with eachof the two pedal-shaft. By means of said adjust-devices, the position ofthe joints of the pedal-shafts and wheel-shafts can be axially shiftedby moving along the rails forwards and backwards, and in turn lengthenor shorten the minor axle of the elliptical exercising orbit to cause anon-uniform scale thereof. Thereby the purpose of modifying the exercisemodel and training various muscle systems is achieved.

The technical measures taken by the invention to achieve foregoingpurpose and effect are given below:

An elliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbitsubstantially comprises:

a framework, which includes an upright support mounted on a longitudinalbase member and said upright support further having a flywheel inside, acrank settled on the flywheel , and at least two parallel rails arrangedalong said longitudinal base member,

a wheel means comprising two wheel-shafts arranged on each side of saidcrank and each has a wheel which is coupled to each of said railsrespectively;

a handle-shaft means comprising a pair of handle-shafts disposed on eachside of the upright support with the top portions for users' handling;

a pedal-shaft means comprising two pedals respectively coupled to twopedal-shafts which are linked to said handle-shafts respectively forusers' pedaling;

A pair of adjust-devices, pivoted on the pedal-shafts respectively,which are provided to shift the position of joints of pedal-shafts andwheel-shafts by moving along the rails forwards and backwards.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the wheel-shafts according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wheel-shaft according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 4 is one of the schematic drawings showing the movement of thepresent invention.

FIG. 5 is another schematic drawing showing the movement of the presentinvention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing showing the movement implemented on awheel-shafts according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is further another schematic drawing showing the movement of thepresent invention.

FIG. 8 is an exploded view of a wheel-shaft according to anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a wheel-shaft according to the secondembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1 to 3, an elliptical exercise machine with adjustableexercising orbit according to the present invention comprises:

a framework 10, which includes an upright support 12 mounted on alongitudinal base member 11 and said upright support 12 further having aflywheel 13 inside, a crank 131 settled on the flywheel 13, a drag 14provided below the flywheel 13 to be coupled therewith for controllingthe resistance thereto; and the longitudinal base member 11 whichextends rearward comprising at least two parallel rails 15 thereon;

a wheel means 20 comprising at least two wheel-shafts 21 which arecannular tubes and disposed on each side of said crank 131 furtherrespectively connected to two retainers 211 which are coupled to bodiesof the wheel-shafts 21 at one end thereof; wherein, a adjust-device 22equipped with a power source 221 which may be an electric motor providedon each wheel-shaft 21, an extendable rod 222 inside each wheel-shaft 21having a connection with said power source 221, a fixed component 223provided at one end of each extendable rod 222, a long-slotted hole 212arranged on at least one side of each wheel-shaft 21, a pin 224transversely penetrating through said long-slotted hole 212 and fixedcomponent 223 thereby the power source 221 drives the joint fixedcomponent 223 and pin 224 axially shift along each wheel-shaft 21; awheel 23 provided on the other end of each wheel-shaft 21 for engagedwith each foresaid rail 15;

a handle-shaft means 30 comprising a pair of handle-shafts 31 disposedon each side of the upright support 12 and a pair of handles 32 providedrespectively whereon for users' handling;

a stepping-pedal means 40 comprising two pedals 42 respectively coupledwith two pedal-shafts 41 wherein the ends near the handle-shafts 31 arepivoted on said pins 224, wherein a pair of pedals 42 disposed on theends of two pedal-shafts 41 respectively for users' stepping;

Referring to FIG. 3 and 4, the handle-shafts 31, pedal-shafts 41,wheel-shafts 21, crank 131 and flywheel 13 are pivotally joint with eachother to form a linkage mechanism. When taking exercise with anelliptical exercise machine of the present invention, a user may step onthe pedals 42 and grip the handles 32. For instance, he may step hisright foot rearward, while his right arm pushes the handle-shaft 31forward simultaneously to drive the corresponding wheel 23 movingrearward along the rail 15. Thereagainst, when the user steps his rightfoot forward, and his right arm pulls the handle-shaft 31 rearward, thecorresponding wheel 23 moves forward along the rail 15. Continuingforegoing actions, the user makes the pedals 42 moving reciprocally tocompose the movement along the major axis of an elliptical exercisingorbit.

Meantime, the connection between the wheel-shafts 21 and the crank 131conducts rotation of the flywheel 13 and pivotal swing of thewheel-shafts 21 upon the pin 24 to compose the movement along the minoraxis of an elliptical exercising orbit. Combining this and foregoingmovement along the major axis, an elliptical exercising orbit istherefore composed.

When modifying the exercising orbit is desired, a user may drive thepower sources 221 to shorten the extendable rods 222 and in turn bringthe joints of the pin 224 and pedal-shafts 41 axially sliding toward theretainers 211 (as shown in FIG. 6). This finally results the ends ofpedal-shafts 41 raised. Also, since the distance between thepin-pedal-shaft joint and the crank 131 shortens, the minor axis of theresultant elliptical exercising orbit correspondingly enlarges, and thusthe resultant elliptical exercise is adapted to training some othermuscle systems;

On the contrary, when the user drives the power sources 221 to extendthe extendable rods 222 and in turn the distance between thepin-pedal-shaft joint and the crank 131 extends. It causes the minoraxis of the resultant elliptical exercising orbit to shorten.

Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention asshown in FIG. 8, a wheel means 50 comprises at least two wheel-shafts 51which are coupled with each end of the crank 131 and further connectedto each wheel-shaft 51 is a adjust-device 52 having a plurality ofthrough holes 53 arranged in a row; wherein the adjust-device 52 furtherincludes a pin 54 which movably pierce into the pedal-shaft 41;

When it is desirous for a user to modify the exercising orbit, it ispossible to change the length of the minor axis of the resultantelliptical exercising orbit by removing the pedal-shaft 41 and thenlifting the pin 54 for re-coupling it to another desired through hole53.

While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms oftwo preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot limited thereto. To the contrary, it is intended to cover variousmodifications and similar arrangements and procedures, and the scope ofthe appended claims therefore should be accorded the broadestinterpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similararrangements and procedures.

1. An elliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbitcomprising: a framework, including a longitudinal base member combinedwith an upright support, a flywheel disposed in said upright support, acrank is disposed on the flywheel, at least two parallel rails arrangedalong said longitudinal base member; a wheel means composed by twowheel-shafts arranged on each end of the crank and each having a wheelwhich is engaged with each of said rails respectively; a handle-shaftmeans comprising a pair of handle-shafts disposed on each side of theupright support and the top portions of the handle-shafts provided forusers' griping; a pedal-shaft means comprising two pedals respectivelycoupled to two pedal-shafts which are linked to said handle-shaftsrespectively for users' pedaling; a pair of adjust-devices pivotallyconnected to the pedal-shafts respectively, which are provided to shiftthe position of joints of pedal-shafts and wheel-shafts by moving alongthe rails forwards and backwards; The exercising orbit of the claimedelliptical exercise machine is non-uniform scaleable against the minoraxis thereof by means of shifting the position of the joints of thepedal-shafts and wheel-shafts.
 2. The elliptical exercise machine withadjustable exercising orbit as claimed in claim 1, wherein, thewheel-shafts are cannular and the adjust-devices each comprise anaxially expandable rod arranged in each said wheel-shaft.
 3. Theelliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit as claimedin claim 2, wherein, each adjust-device comprises a power source settledon the wheel-shaft for driving said expandable rod therein
 4. Theelliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit as claimedin claim 3, wherein, the power sources are electric motors.
 5. Theelliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit as claimedin claim 4, wherein, a fixed component is provided at the other end ofeach expandable rod; at least one long-slotted hole disposed on eachsaid wheel-shaft correspondingly and a pin transversely pierces throughsaid fixed component and long-slotted hole to pivotally connect thepedal-shaft.
 6. The elliptical exercise machine with adjustableexercising orbit as claimed in claim 5, wherein, a pair of retainers arerespectively disposed on each wheel-shaft at the end relative to thecrank. The retainers further associate with wheel-shaft at one end. 7.The elliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit asclaimed in claim 1, wherein, a drag is coupled with the flywheelthereunder for controlling the resistance to rotation of the flywheel.8. The elliptical exercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit asclaimed in claim 1, wherein, each the adjust-device includes a pluralityof through holes on the wheel-shaft arranged in a row.
 9. The ellipticalexercise machine with adjustable exercising orbit as claimed in claim 8,wherein, each said adjust-device further includes a pin movably piercesinto the through holes for the pedal-shaft pivoting thereon.